Biocentrum Helsinki is a large umbrella organization founded in 1994, and hosted by the University of Helsinki and Aalto University, with some 600 people engaged in research in molecular biology, experimental biomedicine, biotechnology and bioinformatics. The current 34 member groups are located at Aalto University and on two separate campuses of the University of Helsinki: the Meilahti Campus housing the Medical Sciences and the Viikki Campus housing the Biological sciences.

The research activities at Biocentrum Helsinki range from human molecular genetics to plant biotechnology, data analysis and biohybrid materials. The member groups in Biocentrum Helsinki are selected by international experts strictly on the basis of their scientific accomplishments, providing that their work is relevant for the fields of molecular biology, experimental biomedicine, biotechnology, or bioinformatics.

The mission of Biocentrum Helsinki is to promote top-quality molecular biology research and innovations at University of Helsinki and Aalto University, and to foster researcher collaboration and research infrastructure co-ordination between different faculties and research institutes working at these entities.

Biocentrum Helsinki co-ordinates, establishes, supports and evaluates research infrastructures, currently located in the Meilahti and Viikki Campuses. Biocentrum Helsinki is also a member of Biocenter Finland, a network promoting research, development and collaboration between all major Biocenters in Finland. Among the Finnish biocenters, Biocentrum Helsinki is the most diversified, having members from three faculties and three research institutes of University of Helsinki.

Biocentrum Helsinki supports high quality research in the member groups, which are selected thorough international evaluation for 3-year periods, Furthermore, Biocentrum Helsinki supports the repatriation of Finnish scientists as well as the recruitment of young foreign scientists by allocating two-year start-up grants.

Biocentrum Helsinki serves as a functional, researcher-based link between top scientists working at different campuses of University of Helsinki and Aalto University. Thus, Biocentrum Helsinki functions as an important discussion forum and fosters collaboration between molecular biology research groups working at University of Helsinki and Aalto University. Furthermore, it coordinates research training by supporting weekly seminar series on both campuses at University of Helsinki, as well as other relevant lectures and symposia in the University of Helsinki and Aalto University.